


at the corner

by itisjosh



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Trust Issues, glow squid hybrid wilbur, lava strider hybrid tommy, phil is the only human lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28617120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Home is a person who goes by the name of Phil.
Relationships: Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Comments: 20
Kudos: 453





	at the corner

_Hell is a place filled with soothing lullabies and warmth. Technoblade sits upon his throne of sand and dust and watches the boy run across the lava. Technoblade doesn't know his name, he's never bothered to ask, and so he calls him Runner. He never leaves the lava, he always stays in the lakes of molten rock. Runner never burns, he never has. Technoblade wonders if there are any others like him. He's only seen Runner, he's never seen anyone else with him. Runner is special, Runner can talk to him, Runner can hear his voice. Runner calls him Golden, and Technoblade doesn't know why._

_He closes his eyes, wincing at the buzzing that presses at the back of his skull, driving him slowly insane. The rest of Hell isn't able to talk to him like Runner can. Runner is the only one who Technoblade can understand, and vice versa. The rest of Hell is intrusive and loud and they never shut up, they never are quiet. Technoblade hates them, but he doesn't know how to break free of their voices, of the continuous buzz that threatens to drive him mad. Technoblade sways on his throne, although it's merely a pile of rock, watching as Runner laughs to himself, gliding easily across the lava._

_"Runner," Technoblade whispers, watching as the boy stops moving. Runner turns his head, locking eyes with Technoblade. "Are there any like you?"_

_"No," Runner tells him. "No, no. Only me. Just me, always me, always me. Only has been me, always only will be me. Just me, Golden, just me. Not like you, not like you," His words are frantic and loud, but not like the rest of Hell's words. Technoblade wonders if it's because they are different, if it's because he is not like Runner. "Never like you, Golden. Never like you." Technoblade nods._

_"Why don't you move out of the lava?"_

_"Death," Runner says. "Death, death, death. Pain and hurt and cold, cold, very cold. Too cold, too, too cold. All too cold, Golden, too cold. I'll die, Golden, I'll die. Can't leave, we can't leave, I can't leave. We're trapped, we're trapped. Why are we trapped, Golden, why are we trapped?"_

_Technoblade breaks eye contact, swallowing. "I don't know," he admits, feeling Hell's voice press against the back of his head. "I have to go."_

_"So do I, so do I. Goodbye, goodbye! Bye, goodbye, bye, Golden! Goodbye!" And then Runner is off, gliding on top of the lava as if it were regular ground. Technoblade watches as he races off, disappearing behind mountains of red and white. The white contrasts horribly against the dark red._

_Technoblade lays back on his throne, closing his eyes as he focuses on Runner's words and his voice, drowning out any other thoughts from his mind. Hell can wait._

* * *

"You lot head off to the west," Phil waves a hand, motioning for the rest of his team to fuck off. He doesn't like exploring with a group, but his patrol leader was insistent that he lead for once. No one moves, and Phil sighs, rolling his eyes. He draws his sword from its sheath, waving that towards them. "I said _fuck off_ ," and off they scatter, grouping in doubles and triples almost immediately. "Fuckin' Christ." Phil laughs, feeling his chest buzz with excitement when he's finally alone. He likes the Nether more than he should, he thinks. It's easy to traverse for him, and it's even easier with his wings. Admittedly, he's started to be a lot more cautious after the _incident_ , but he doesn't think about that all that much. 

_("Intruders!" Hell screams. "Intruders, intruders! Run, fight, kill! Kill! Kill, fight, get rid off, kill!" Technoblade feels them tear at his skull, his ears ringing as he crouches behind a hunk of rock, gripping his sword in his hands._

_"Golden!" Runner's voice is louder, it's always been louder. "Golden, Golden! We're okay, okay? Okay! We are okay! You're okay, okay, you're okay, we're okay. Don't need to fight, don't need to fight, don't need to fight. Stay safe, safe, stay safe, stay safe."_

_"I will," Technoblade promises. "I will, I promise, I will. You too, Runner. Be okay, be safe."_

_"Always am, always am!" Runner chirps, his voice light and easy. "Always will be!")_

Phil sighs, glancing towards a lake of lava. He frowns, squinting when he sees something running across the top of the lava. What the fuck? Phil moves closer, outstretching his wings just in case he falls. He leans over the ledge, watching as some sort of hybrid sprints on the top of the lava, laughing and grinning as he goes. Phil frowns, watching the boy run with ease. He doesn't look hurt at all, and Phil has never seen a hybrid like this. The closest thing he can think of is a magma cube, but he doesn't think that magma cubes are able to form hybridations. 

He watches as the boy runs, laughing and looking completely at ease, like he's at home. Phil feels his wings prick, narrowing his eyes. He's being watched. He turns away from the boy, looking past his shoulder. He tilts his head, watching for any sight of movement. He doesn't hear anyone screaming or yelling for help, so he assumes that they're okay. Someone, or something, is just targeting him. Probably because he's alone, he thinks. 

Phil stands up, his wings spreading out to their full length. He grips his sword a little tighter, watching for any sign of danger, any sign that he needs to run. He shifts at the sound of something moving, staring past rubble, stained with red. He isn't sure if that's blood, or if the Nether has finally started to take its course on the creation. Phil takes a step back when he sees a golden sword fly past him, folding in his wings. He turns back to look at whatever tried to attack him, unimpressed with the effort-

 _Oh_.

He blinks, staring down at the _child_ that peers up at him. He's not fully human, what, with his ears jutting out the side of his head and his hair being pink. Tusks poke out the sides of his mouth, and his eyes are red, flecked with gold. The piglin-hybrid stares at him, his grip on his sword tightening. His knuckles turn nearly white, and Phil can't help but bite back a laugh. So _that's_ who was stalking him. "Hey," Phil crouches down, watching as the hybrid flinches back. "I'm not going to hurt you, promise," he holds up his hands, setting his sword on the ground. "My name is Phil." 

_("Killkillkillkillkillkillkill-"_

_"Golden!" Runner's voice rings out, rings out in his ears and in his head. Technoblade has been caught, he's been caught, he's going to be killed. The human stares at him with soft eyes, with a colour that Technoblade doesn't recognise. "Golden, you're fine, fine, you're okay! You're okay, Golden, you are okay, Golden! On my way to help, on my way to help, promise, coming, helping. Coming to help, promise, on my way. Golden, you're okay, you're okay, you're okay!" Runner chirps, and Technoblade forces himself to look away from the hunter, from the man who is going to kill him._

_He sees Runner drag himself out of the lava, his red-tinged skin turning pale blue and purple. He shivers as he drags himself along the floor of Hell, crawling on his hands and knees up to him, up to Technoblade. "Go back home, go back home," Technoblade protests. "Go to your lake, to the lava. You're too cold, too cold."_

_"No, no," Runner sounds like he's in pain. "Promised, I promised, I promised you, Golden, I promised. I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm going up, I'm with you. I'm with you, Golden, I'm with you.")_

Phil listens to a pained cry from behind him, not entirely sounding human. He turns, frowning when he sees the boy who ran on lava dragging himself out of his lake, pulling himself along the ground as he tries to stand. "What the fuck.." he shakes his head, watching the boy clamber up the netherrack, eerily blue and pale against the dark red of everything else around him. He stands up on shaky legs, his eyes a pale yellow colour. "Hi," Phil offers a smile at the boy, who grins back at him, his teeth pointed and sharp. "My name is Phil."

_(Phil? Phil doesn't sound like their names, Phil isn't right. Phil sounds like Heart, and Lava-racer is going to call him that. Lava-racer smiles, taking the hand that Heart offers him, turning to beam at Golden. "Safe!" He tells him, although he doesn't think that Heart can hear him. "See, Golden? It's safe, you're safe! He isn't bad, he's good! See, look? Heart is good!")_

Phil feels his hand heat up when the boy clasps it with his own, wincing at the intensity. "Can either of you talk to me?" The boy who ran in lava shakes his head, though he opens his mouth, frowning when nothing comes out. The piglin-hybrid just looks at him, his eyes wary and nervous. The lava boy looks at him with nothing but excitement and hope, and Phil isn't quite sure why. "Guys!" He turns his head, shouting to the rest of his team. There's no way they wandered far off without him. "I've got two kids here! Set up a portal, we're going home early!" 

He slips off his coat, handing it to the boy who ran in lava. "I think you need this more than I do," he laughs, watching as the boy snatches it out of his hands, snuggling into it. Some colour returns to his body, but not much. "Come on," he looks over his shoulder, watching as his team starts to build another portal, working with ease. "I think it's about time we left this fucking hell."

* * *

Phil calls the boy who ran in lava Tommy, and he calls the piglin-hybrid Techno. 

Ever since they got back to the Overworld, Tommy's skin has become less orange, less red. His hair isn't nearly as orange as it had been, turning into a more blonde colour. Techno has stayed the same entirely, still wary and tired and scared. Phil understands, though not as much as he wishes that he does. He drops his job, opting to stay in the Overworld rather than going to the Nether or to the End. He knows that they don't think the same, but Tommy and Techno have become his sons. 

Phil turns when he hears knocking on his door, watching as Tommy opens it, a wide grin on his face. He smiles more than anyone else Phil has ever met. "Hey, Tommy. What do you need?" Tommy motions for him to follow, and then he's scrambling away, racing off somewhere. Phil sighs, pushing himself out of his chair, setting down his pen. He might not be traveling the world anymore, but he still has to report the things that he sees, the oddities in his life. Work can wait, he thinks - his sons cannot. Phil follows, turning the corner to the living room to face Tommy. "Yeah?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. 

Tommy rushes out of the door, moving faster than anyone else Phil has ever met. He's started to call Tommy a lava strider hybrid, though he doesn't know if that's accurate or not. He's spent weeks reading up on the creatures in the Nether, but none of them look even remotely like Tommy does. Phil follows after his son, not entirely sure where Tommy's going to lead him. He stares out at the lake in front of their house, watches as Tommy does the same. Tommy grabs him by the wrist, urging him to follow him to the lake. Phil just laughs, letting Tommy pull him along. 

"What, you want me to teach you how to swim?" Phil asks, snorting when Tommy shakes his head, bouncing on his toes. Tommy lets go of his wrist right at the edge of the lake, grinning like a madman. Tommy turns away from him, and then he-

 _Runs across the fucking lake_. 

His feet are a blur, and all Phil can see his him running, the water barely even moving under his feet. "Holy _shit_ ," Phil whispers, listening to Tommy laugh, listening to the boy giggle and grin and cackle. "What the _fuck?_ " 

_(Lava-racer laughs as he glides across the blue lava, laughs at Heart's reaction to everything. Heart likes to call him Tommy, and Lava-racer doesn't know how to tell him that that's not his name. He can't talk in the language that Heart uses, though he's tried to. He listens to Heart when he talks, he listens to the man whenever he speaks, trying desperately to learn how to do the same. "Golden!" Lava-racer laughs, calling out for his friend, for his brother. "Come outside, come look! Come look at me, I can run on the blue lava! I can run on the blue lava!" Lava-racer doesn't know what the blue lava is called, though he doesn't care much to find out._

_Heart watches him, and Lava-racer can't help but beam at him, feeling his chest bloom with warmth. Ever since they left Hell and came here, Lava-racer has been getting used to the cold. He isn't nearly as cold as he used to be, though he wishes that he could still be warm like he used to. He knows that he didn't have to leave Hell, but the voices that made it up were getting too intense, too loud. Lava-racer knows that it was the same for Golden, even if he never mentioned it. "Where, where?" Golden's voice echoes in his head. "Runner, where, Runner? Lost? Lost?"_

_"No!" Lava-racer laughs. "Not lost! I'm not lost, I'm not! I'm outside, with Heart! Come look at me, Golden, come watch me!"_

_Lava-racer doesn't know why Heart calls him Tommy and why Golden calls him Runner, but he thinks that he might like those names a little more than his real one.)_

* * *

_Techno has no reason to try to learn and talk._

_Runner convinced him to, he thinks. Runner, the boy who walked on lava, the one who Phil calls Tommy. Phil calls him Techno, which is close enough to his real name. He doesn't know how Phil got "Tommy" from "Runner", but he doesn't plan on asking. He doesn't understand Phil or any of the humans around this place. He doesn't understand where he is, how this place is so different from Hell._

_Technoblade may not understand, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care._

_Phil has been nothing but kind and understanding to him, and Technoblade doesn't know how to return that._

_Except, maybe, he does. Phil has been trying to teach both him and Tommy how to talk, how to make noises that form words and sentences. Techno hasn't tried, though he knows that Tommy has. Tommy loves it, the ability to talk and speak and be understood. None of his words sound like Phil's, but some of them are close. He talks all the time, constantly rambling on about everything. Techno can never understand them as the words that come from Phil's language, but they always make sense in Hell's._

_"How do you do it?" Techno asks Tommy one day. Tommy is far away from him, but they can still talk nonetheless. They've always been able to do that. "Talk, I mean."_

_"Oh," Tommy sounds like he's shrugging. "I just do, Golden. I just do."_

_"That's not helpful," Techno sighs. "I want to learn."_

_"Oh! Oh, oh?" Tommy laughs, his voice getting louder. He must be getting closer. "For Heart? You want to learn for him?" Tommy's words have stopped repeating as much, he's started to talk in full sentences rather than just words thrown together.  
_

_Techno smiles. Tommy has to know that Phil's name isn't Heart, and he has to know that Techno's name isn't Golden. But the way he gives them nicknames, it's..Techno doesn't know the word for it. He doesn't know the word, but he'll learn it, he knows he will. He'll learn, and he'll learn for-_

_"Phil," he confirms. "I want to learn for him. It'll make him happy." Techno doesn't know why he wants to make the man happy, but he..does. And he hasn't been allowed to do what he wants in a long time, but he can now. He's going to do what he wants and no one can stop him, no one can tell him not to._

_"We'll learn!" Tommy tells him. "We're going to learn, we'll learn! I'll teach you, I promise!"_

_Techno doesn't know how long it'll take him to learn Phil's language, but he doesn't plan on giving up._

* * *

_Tommy's first words are, "Philza!", and they made Phil break down crying. He pulled his son close to his chest, murmuring praises and laughing and crying, and Tommy did the same. His voice was warbled and difficult to make out, but Phil could hear all the words, anyways._

"You've got something to show me?" Phil laughs, letting Tommy drag him back inside. "What's up, Tommy?"

"Nope!" Tommy's voice is shaky and it doesn't sound quite right, but Phil adores it nonetheless. His hair is completely blonde now, his skin a pale tan colour. Phil didn't know that hybrids from the Nether could completely lose their original colourings, but it's just something he's learnt along the way. "For, uh.." Tommy tilts his head, opening and closing his mouth. "..Tech..no?" Phil feels his heart soar, nothing but happiness in his chest. 

"Techno," he repeats, grinning. "Techno." 

"Techno," Tommy grins. "Golden. Him, look!" Tommy points a finger towards the piglin-hybrid, his eyes huge. "Techno! Techno, Phil! Heart, do the..do the thing!" 

Techno shifts on his feet, looking away for a few moments. "I love you, Phil." 

Phil feels the words strike his chest, nearly bringing him to his knees. He feels tears prick at his eyes, and he dissolves into sobs a few seconds later, trying his best to hide them, to stop crying. "Oh my god," he laughs, wiping away his tears. He holds out his arms and Techno settles into them. "I love you too, Techno. I love you so much," Tommy weasels his way into the hug, resting his head on Phil's shoulder. "And you, Tommy. I love you, both of you. So, so much."

_("Proud of you!" Tommy tells him. "You did good, Techno- Golden! Techno?"_

_"Techno is okay," Techno breathes out, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. Phil seemed to be happy with him speaking, so maybe he'll do it more often. "Thank you."_

_Tommy grins at him, his eyes shining faintly. "Anything for you.")_

* * *

Phil leaves his home after three years of staying there, and as soon as he does, he's sucked into another adventure. 

He soars throughout the skies, watching the ocean ripple from below him. He frowns when he sees something sparkling under the dark blue waves, tilting his head at the sight. The glowing starts to move to the shore, and Phil stops flying, hovering in the air. Sea salt sprays his wings, and he flies down to the beach, landing carefully. He tucks his wings back, careful to not let them get wet. The glowing stops after a few moments, and-

 _Holy_ _fuck_. 

Phil stares down at the creature, a boy who looks about the same age as Techno, who looks older than Tommy by a few years. He has dark brown hair and pale blue-white skin. He has glowing cerulean scales going across his nose and his neck and down onto his chest, flickering and shimmering in the sunlight. "Fuck," Phil crouches down, tilting the boy's head back. He has something wrapped around his throat, and Phil is fairly certain that it's killing him. He grabs his knife from his back pocket, slicing the material in half, watching as it falls to the ground. The boy's eyes fly open, and Phil nearly jumps out of his skin at how fast his reaction was. "Woah, it's alright. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." 

The boy pushes away from him, his eyes narrowed sharply. "Yeah? And how the fuck do I know that?" Phil breathes out. 

"I'm a father," he explains. "I'm not going to hurt you." The boy stares at him, his eyes the colour of clouds. 

"..Wilbur," he mutters. "That's my name. Tell me yours." 

Phil breathes in. 

"I'm Phil."

* * *

Wilbur fits right in. 

"No, that's not even close," he laughs, shoving Tommy away from him. "Fuck off, _child_. I'm not going to- hey!" 

"Too slow, bitch boy!" Tommy teases, jumping away from Wilbur's grasp. "Come 'nd get your book back then, yeah?" And then he's taking off out of the house, too fast to really even see. Wilbur closes his eyes, pressing his fingers to his temples. 

"Phil, I'm going to kill him." 

Phil grin, glancing over to Techno, who hasn't looked up once since this entire ordeal. "Techno, tell Will to not drown his brother."

"Wilbur," Techno starts, looking up from his book. "Phil says to beat the everlovin' sh-"

" _No_ ," Phil sighs. "You need to stop inciting violence. You're an instigator."

"Yes," Techno confirms. "I thought we already knew this?" He smiles, his tusks a little longer than they had been last year. "Anyways, Wilbur, I fully support your decision to murder him. I'd do the same." 

_("Fuck you, dipshit," Tommy seethes. "You're the worst older brother I've ever had in my entire life. I'm gonna drown you, how the fuck's that sound, dickhead?"_

_"Okay, Runner," Techno dismisses him, and Tommy wants to punch him right in his stupid fucking face. "If you get Wilbur's book wet, he'll kill you."_

_"Golden," Tommy scoffs, "do you think I give a shit about what Bright tries to do to me?" He asks. "No. Fuck you."_

_"Phil will be disappointed."_

_Tommy hesitates. "Nah. I'm Heart's favourite." He's a little more careful with the book, though.)_

Phil leans back in his chair, watching through the window as Wilbur dives into the pond. He swims way too fast, eerily so. Phil's started to call him a glow squid hybrid, since the closest thing he could compare him to was squid. Squids don't naturally glow, though, so Phil assumes that he's a genetic mutation. Well, more so than he already is. Tommy laughs and grins as he races across the water, narrowly avoiding Wilbur's jabs and kicks. Tommy can't swim all that well, but he doesn't need to. 

"I'm glad you found us," Techno says, suddenly. "Thanks, I mean. For..everythin'. I'm not good at..words, so," he looks away, heaving a sigh. "Thank you, Phil. Really. I don't know how long I would've survived without you." Phil smiles, ducking his head as he closes his book. 

"I love you too, Techno. Wanna come and stop a murder with me?"

Techno grins at him, his eyes lighting up. "Did someone say..murder?"

* * *

They start to go on missions together, traveling the Nether and the Overworld and the End. 

They gain names for themselves - Technoblade, the blood god. TommyInnit, the determined. Wilbur Soot, the revolutionary. Philza Minecraft, the god of life and creation. Phil doesn't quite remember how they even got their stupid titles, but he thinks that they're hilarious. 

"I'm going to beat you to death," Wilbur announces. "Five, four, three, two, o-"

"That's not scary," Tommy puffs out his chest. "I'm not scared of you, b- ah!" Wilbur punches him in the shoulder, and Tommy furiously whirls around, jabbing a finger at Wilbur's chest. "You're a real dickhead, you know that? I reckon I should-"

Phil sighs. "Now look what you've done," Techno snorts. "You've upset Phil. I'm gonna have to kill both of you for that."

"Me, upset Philza?" Tommy turns to look at him, his eyes huge. "I'd never do that. I'm the favourite."

"You're not," Wilbur tells him. "I am."

"No," Techno scoffs. "That's me. Phil loves me the most. Right, Phil?"

Phil sighs. 

"Whoever stops talking the longest is my favourite," he announces, and they all snap their jaws shut. Phil laughs, nearly to the point of tears. "God, you're all my favourites, yeah? Christ, you're so fuckin' dramatic."

"It's not dramatic if it's- _shit_." Tommy stomps his foot against the ground. 

"Hah!" Techno grins, elbowing him in the side. 

"Dumbasses," Wilbur grins. "I was the one who was the quietest the longest. That means, per the rules, I'm the favourite. Suck it, bitches." 

Phil sighs again, though he can't help but grin. 

He wouldn't give this up for anything. 

* * *

_"Hey, Techno?"_

_"Yeah, Tommy?"_

_"Do you think that we're finally home?" Tommy asks. "That we're safe here?"_

_Techno smiles. "I think so," he admits. "I think this is home. I think Phil is home. I think we'll be alright."_

_"Okay," Tommy sighs. "Thanks, Golden." The name hurts his chest, but in the good way. He hasn't been called that in years._

_"Of course, Runner."_


End file.
